Reflection: "Advent - Watching, Waiting"Advent is a season in the western church’s calendar where we count down to the birth of Jesus, the Christ.
The term “Advent” is an Anglicised version of the Latin word adventus, meaning "a coming, or arrival of an important person." Therefore, in this season of the church’s calendar, we are waiting for the coming of Jesus. To celebrate a “coming”, we obviously need to have a period of waiting – often in eager anticipation. Just look at young children in the build up to Christmas Day and you’ll understand it’s a time of great excitement. The ancient Jews knew a thing or two about waiting, as well. At the time of Jesus, they’d been waiting for their messiah to come for thousands of years, but when Jesus arrived, most of them missed it. I guess another person who knew a thing or two about waiting would have been Mary, the mother of Jesus. We understand that she was only a young teenager when she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit and the wait for the birth of her first child, a boy whom they named Jesus, probably seemed like an eternity for her. The long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, bouncing around on a donkey and then giving birth in a stable, would not have been what any expectant mother would want. She may not have received too much help from her family, either, as there would have been quite a stigma attached to an unmarried girl having a baby. Luckily, Joseph didn’t let her down – but then again, he had received a visit from an angel. I know that if an angel spoke to me, I’d certainly take note of what was said! The disciples were another group who were waiting. After the cross, the resurrection and the ascension, they thought Jesus would come back – soon - they expected it in their lifetime. They lived their lives thinking that at any moment Jesus would return. The Christian church, all around the world, has been collectively holding its breath for nearly twenty centuries – always waiting, always watching - and still the time has not come for Jesus’ return. Not yet. What were they, and now we, looking for during this period of waiting? Signs, of course. The signs were to be the fulfilment of God’s promises, made in many of the Old Testament scriptures. And from Luke we hear that: "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the seas and the waves..." I know what you're thinking. What does any of this have to do with waiting and the season of Christmas? Our thoughts have already turned toward putting up the Christmas tree and decorating our homes. Over the course of the next few weeks, many Christians will gather in special worship services, and everywhere we go there will be reminders that Christmas is coming. Unfortunately, on this first Sunday in Advent, many people would rather just hear about Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, so the church encourages us to take time preparing for the real meaning behind the event. The church understands that many of us need a wake-up call at this time of year, because it’s so easy to become distracted by the shopping, partying, etc., and all the stuff that “just has to be finished” by the end of the year - that we miss out on the "peace on earth and good will to all people" message. "Wake up and don't miss out on the coming of Jesus!" is the first message of Advent - it’s a spiritual wake-up call. Through the reading of the scripture lessons, you can almost hear the alarm clock ringing. Now, not only does Advent try to wake us up, but it also invites us to look in two directions - back to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and forward to his return, when he’ll bring God's kingdom on earth to fulfilment. Therefore, Advent always begins with a text that looks toward Jesus' return. In other words, we begin by looking deep into the future - to the end of history. If we understand what the scriptures say about Christ's return, then the first thing we must say is that nobody knows the day or the hour this will occur. As we read in Matthew (24:36) and Mark (13:32) an account of Jesus' words in the temple: "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Not even Jesus knew when the end of human history will come - only the Father does. Our first Advent candle is all about Hope – a reminder of the good things yet to come. Have you ever given any thought as to why we light candles during Advent? Do we think that God needs a beacon to find us again? Sort of like a porch light – shining out so that people will know that you’re home and won’t trip on the step? Maybe a better way to look at it is like this: In the beginning God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Where was God before that? He was in the darkness. Moses went up into the darkness that covered Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. Where was God? He was in the midst of the darkness. On Easter morning, while it was still dark, Jesus rose from the dead. Where was God? He was in the darkness. Therefore, we light these candles over Advent to remind us that God is light and has come out of the darkness. Advent is a season in which we keep looking, because we are a people of hope. We are Christmas people. We sing to Emmanuel because “God is with us”. When we sense that we’re lost in the darkness, Advent reminds us that we are not alone. The God of hope is with us - these are the signs that guide our steps. Jesus warns us not to get distracted by the worries of this world. We lift our eyes and look upward toward God because, even in the midst of difficult times, our Lord comes to us. We must be ever vigilant, waiting and watching for the time when Christ will come again. Will he come today, tomorrow, or maybe on Christmas Day? Well, we just don’t know the time or the place, only God does, so our job is not just to wait and keep looking for the signs – but, as well as looking, we must be ready! We need to work hard at understanding God’s word, living our lives the way Jesus showed us and, most importantly, loving our neighbours as we love ourselves. The more we read God’s word in the bible, the more we’ll be attuned to the signs that will reveal to us, more about God’s Kingdom here on earth. If we do that, and we’re ready for his coming, then we won’t need to concern ourselves with knowing the time that God decides to return. It will be the right time – and we’ll be ready. Therefore, I encourage you all to have a happy and blessed time over Advent and at Christmas and remember the reason that we have this celebration. It is because Jesus, the light, is coming into the world. Pastor Rick
1 Comment
KAREN PAULL
30/11/2021 10:41:58 am
Very thoughtful Rick. I will share some of this with our meditation group today.
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